Illustrative image. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Maxwell Orlosky)
The United States’ largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has again entered the waters of the Middle East, two defense officials told the Associated Press on April 18.
The Ford, which until recently was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, transited the Suez Canal, along with a pair of guided-missile destroyers, the USS Mahan and the USS Winston S. Churchill, and is now operating in the Red Sea, one official said.
The deployment came after more than a month in the Mediterranean following a major fire in a laundry space that forced the ship back to port for repairs. The carrier also broke the record for the longest aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam war this week.
Embarked aboard the Ford is the Carrier Air Wing Eight with more than 70 warplanes, including F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets, and EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, in addition to a number of E-2D Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning aircraft.
The Ford’s arrival makes it the second aircraft carrier in the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln, currently operating in the Arabian Sea.
The USS George H. W. Bush is also heading toward the region and is currently off the coast of South Africa. It will likely join the Lincoln in the Arabian Sea within a few days.
Alongside the Lincoln in the Arabian Sea is the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), with the aircraft-carrying USS Tripoli and two other amphibious assault ships. The 11th MEU is also making its way to the region, aboard three more amphibious assault ships, including the aircraft-carrying USS Boxer.
This naval buildup by the U.S. comes as the two-week ceasefire with Iran nears its end. Diplomatic efforts do not appear to be moving forward fast enough, and it is still unclear if the ceasefire will be extended.
The Lincoln and the Bush could end up supporting amphibious operations on the Iranian coast by the 31st and 11th MEUs to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the Ford will likely remain in the Red Sea to deter the Houthis in Yemen, who could attempt to block the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait — a checkpoint that connects Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and by extension the Indian Ocean — if Iran is invaded.
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i hope ansar allah puts some holes in some american ships.
it’s means the toilets are unclogged ?
bastard amerikkkans!